Greenville & Western

Company History: Greenville & Western Railway Company, LLC (GRLW), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Western Carolina Railway Service Corporation, owns and operates 12.74 miles of rail line in Anderson County, South Carolina.

The road’s roots can be traced back to the original 1910 charter of the Greenville, Spartanburg & Anderson Railway (GS&A). The line was part of a section of the GS&A that was constructed between Greenwood and Greenville between 1910 and 1912 and the company, together with its affiliate Piedmont Traction Company, were collectively recognized by the public as Piedmont & Northern Lines. Following the 1911 charter of the Piedmont and Northern Railway Company (P&N), both companies were absorbed into the P&N in 1914 and such was the line's identity through 1969. Purchased by Seaboard Coast Line Railroad in that same year, the line, as the result of successive mergers that led to the formation of CSX Transportation (CSXT), remained under CSXT ownership and operation for over 36 years, ending October 20, 2006. Effective October 21, 2006, GRLW assumed ownership and operation of the line which serves the Belton, Cheddar, Williamston and Pelzer communities.

Successor/Parent History: Organized in 2003, the Western Carolina Railway Service Corporation is a privately-held South Carolina corporation created for the purpose of preserving, restoring, and revitalizing shortline rail service in South Carolina and the surrounding region. The corporation created and remains a parent company to two nationally-recognized shortlines in western region of the Palmetto State: the 13-mile Aiken Railway, based in Aiken; and the 13-mile Greenville & Western Railway Company, based in Belton. In addition, the company offers terminal switching services, railroad consulting services, and is a leader in area industrial real estate development. The corporation is privately held and run by Steven and Cheryl Hawkins, and is headquartered in the historic Piedmont & Northern depot in downtown Greer, South Carolina.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.